February is drawing to a close, which means there’s only one week left in Black History Month. It’s maybe a little misleading that February alone is labeled the month to honor Black history, but still, the designation makes this a great weekend to honor the fact that Black history is American history.

There’s a wide selection of films and series that tell essential stories of Black history in America. Fill your weekend with an efficient guide to the subject, a trio of films that propel the legacies of influential artists forward, or a vast array of titles that document or dramatize the lives of trailblazing figures. Watch as many as you can in time for the end of February, but you can still save the rest for March and beyond — we promise, they’ll be timely throughout the year. 

But first, what’s new on Netflix?

Courtside seats. The new six-episode docuseries Court of Gold takes you behind the scenes at the 2024 Paris Olympics with some of the best basketball players in the world as they compete for the gold. Not a slam dunk for you? A star-studded cast populates the new thriller series Zero Day, from creators Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael S. Schmidt. Robert De Niro stars as a former POTUS who is called upon to get to the bottom of a destructive cyberattack and uncovers a tangled conspiracy. Not adding up? Wait until Sunday night and tune in to an even starrier show: The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by Kristen Bell, will stream live at 8 p.m. ET. 

If you have just a night … 

Take a guided tour. Kevin Hart brings his signature humor to the 2019 variety special Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History, directed by Tom Stern. Through a clever sitcom framework, the hourlong special sees its star deliver a fun but educational lesson about Black history, honoring many of its unsung heroes alongside more familiar names.  

If you have a whole day … 

Celebrate some of the all-time greats — across mediums — with three dramas that examine the Black experience throughout American history and recognize different generations of artists. First, Rebecca Hall’s Passing (2021) is an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel of the same name, a classic of the Harlem Renaissance. Tessa Thompson stars as a woman in 1920s New York who encounters a childhood friend (Ruth Negga) and discovers she’s been passing as white. Follow it with 2024’s The Piano Lesson, an adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1987 play of the same name, directed by Malcolm Washington (and starring his brother John David). Taking place in the 1930s, the film revolves around a family in conflict over what to do with a prized heirloom. Finally, close out the day with a movie from a revolutionary filmmaker: The 2020 war drama Da 5 Bloods — a Spike Lee joint — tells the tale of four Black Vietnam vets who return to the country on a mission of their own. 

If you have the entire weekend … 

Know these icons. You can program your whole weekend with the stories, both documentary and dramatized, of significant figures across industries and disciplines. Start with some documentaries: Liz Garbus’ Oscar-nominated What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) documents the life of the singer and activist Nina Simone; the Emmy-nominated 2020 doc Becoming, directed by Nadia Hallgren, is based on former FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s memoir of the same name; and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019) sees the Nobel Prize winner herself, and others, reflect on her work. 

Follow them with two drama miniseries. The 2021 series Colin in Black & White, created by Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick, depicts the athlete’s journey to activism, with Jaden Michael starring as the young Kaepernick. And 2020’s Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker stars Octavia Spencer as the turn-of-the-century entrepreneur-activist. Finally, close it out with a pair of painful but impactful documentaries: The tragic death of the groundbreaking artist and activist Sam Cooke is investigated in Kelly Duane de la Vega’s ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019), while an intense but fraught friendship provides the basis of Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021), directed by Marcus Clarke. 

Don’t forget, you have one last chance … 

… for a dream within a dream. In Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending 2010 sci-fi heist film Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a haunted but talented “extractor” — a highly specialized thief who breaks into his targets’ subconscious to steal secrets. Catch it before the end of the month, when this top will stop spinning. 

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